Parking meter



Aug. 21, 1962 M. TERRAZ 3,049,864 PARKING METER Filed Feb. 15, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 21, 1962 M. TERRAZ 3,049,864

PARKING METER Filed Feb. 15, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3,049,864 Patented Aug. 21, 1962 ice 3,049,864 PARKING METER Marius Terraz, Geneva, Switzerland, assignor of one-third to Michel Conchon, one-third to Louis Cottier, and onethird to Georges Philippin, all of Geneva, Switzerland Filed Feb. 15, 1960, Ser. No. 8,836 Claims priority, application Switzerland Feb. 5, 1960 2 Claims. (Cl. 58-143) Parking meters are known which are permanently set up in motor-car parking places and are controlled through the introduction of a coin, or else, which include an independent clockwork, the indicating member controlled by which is shiftably secured in front of a scale corresponding to predetermined parking periods.

Our invention has for its object a parking meter including means for securing it inside a vehicle, together with a mechanism starting into motion automatically at the moment of the stopping of the vehicle, a member showing the parking time elapsed.

We have illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings two preferred embodiments of our invention. In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section through line 11-41 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section through line IIIIII of FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 shows a detail of FIG. 3 illustrating the operation of the apparatus at a different stage.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a similar view after removal of the casing.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sections through line AA of FIG. 5 illustrating the different stages of operation of said second embodiment.

The first embodiment illustrated in the drawings in cludes a casing 1 in the circular opening of which is fitted a glass 2 and a dial 3 carrying a scale over which moves a hand 4. Said scale includes an area 5 corresponding to a duration of six minutes during which parking is forbidden and a further area 6 corresponding to a period of sixty minutes during which the parking is authorized.

A clockwork movement 7 which is wound by a key 8 and the operation of which is permanent, provides for a rotation of the cap 9 driving frictionally a cylinder 10 rigid with the spindle 11 carrying the hand 4. The fric tion required is obtained through four pins 12 fitted in radial recesses of the cylinder subjected to the action of springs 12 and the outer ends of which engage the cap.

14 designates an elect-rornagnet which is connected with the electric circuit of the vehicle and is controlled by the closing of the latter through the contact key which is not illustrated. Said electromagnet is adapted to draw in a lever 15 subjected to the action of a return spring 16 and provided with two stops 17 and 18 engageable by an arm 19 rigid with the spindle 11 and the hand 4.

When said arm 19' is in contact with the stop .17 (FIG. 3) or with the stop 18 (FIG. 4), the hand is located respectively at the beginning of the area 5 and at the beginning of the area 6 of its scale. A knurled control knob 20 is revolvably fitted round the spindle 11 carrying the hand and it is provided with an eccentric projection 21 adapted to angularly shift said hand. The knob may be moved outwardly longitudinally against the action of the spring 22, so that said projection 21 may be shifted out of the path of the hand 4 and outside the plate 23 covering the latter (hand 4) when in registry with the area 5, said plate 23 being of a transparent material.

The cylinder 10 is provided at one of its ends with a smooth sector 25 and with a series of teeth 24 along the remainder of its periphery, forming saw teeth 26 cooperating with a catch 27 preventing any return of the hand rearwardly. The smooth sector 25 is located in a manner such as to allow said engagement of the catch whenever the hand moves across the first section of the area 6 corresponding to a period of fifteen minutes. A reference mark 28 registers with the scale at the point corresponding to the end of the first fifteen minute section.

An arrangement is also provided to prevent the driver from merely shifting his car out of a parking position into an adjacent parking position without having practically run over a substantial distance.

In order to prevent such a makeshift, the driver should be constrained to run for at least 6- minutes, before parking again. To this end, there is provided at the beginning of the parking dial a 6-minute area over which the actual parking time is not recorded when the driver turns his contact key before the six minutes have elapsed. In such a case, in fact, the hand 4 which was arrested by the stop 17 (FIG. 3) is released and moves into the non-parking area 5 of its scale. During these first six minutes, the driver must not therefore park his vehicle. When the hand is thenafter arrested by the other stop 18 (FIG. 4), the driver is again authorized to park his vehicle and at the moment at which he switches olf the contact key, the hand is again released and moves across the area 6 of the scale which area for-ms the actual parking area, so as to reengage the first stop 17 after one hour has elapsed. It is also possible to extend the first period of parking between the first and the fifteenth minute of the area 6 by rotating the knob 20, so as to shift the hand 4 rearwardly. This arrangement allows obtaining a series of successive parking periods of a short duration. Through operation of the knob in the other direction, it is possible to shorten the parking period by causing the hand to progress, whereby it is possible to set the hand of the parking meter in its starting position illustrated in FIG. 3. Lastly, it is impossible to act on the hand 4 when inside area 5 by reason of the presence of the plate 23.

The apparatu described is intended to be fitted in the vehicle, so as to be observed readily from the outside of the vehicle; in particular, it may be fitted on the windshield. It shows the advantage of allowing a practical and reliable control of the duration of parking and it replaces advantageously the conventional parking meters fitted permanently in a parking area.

The parking meter illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8 includes a casing 40 inside which is housed a time-meter, the indicator member of which 41 appears inside a gate 42 in registry with a reference mark 43. The casing 40 is provided 'with suction means 44, wherethrough it is possible to adhesively secure the parking meter on the windshield 45 of an automobile vehicle (FIG. 7) on the inside of the vehicle, so that its indicating member may be visible from the outside of the vehicle.

The motor driving the time-meter is constituted by a clockwork movement, of which we have illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 only the plate 46, a bridge plate 47, a stationary sleeve 48 fitted on said bridge plate and a gear 49 (FIG. 6) driving the hour wheel 50 round its sleeve 48.

The indicator member 41 is disc shaped, having a scale time inscribed thereon and is keyed to a spindle 51 revolving freely inside the sleeve 48. Rotation of spindle and indicator member is limited to a period of two hours by a stationary pin 52 cooperating with two stops 53 and 54 carried by the disc (FIG. 6). A counterweight '55 urges permanently the stop 53 against the pin 52, so as to return consequently the disc 41 into its zero position.

The connection between the disc 41 and the hour wheel 56 driven continuously by the main spring of the clockwork movement is obtained through a clutch including a projection 56 fixed to the wheel and cooperating with perforations 57 provided in the indicator member 41. Under the action of gravity, the disc 41 has a tendency aoaaeea to enter its position providing engagement. It may be disconnected by shifting axially the spindle 51 against the action of gravity, The spindle 51 extends beyond the sleeve 48 towards a plate 58 fixed to a pendular weight 59 pivotally suspended to a strap 61 secured to the plate 46. In the position of static equilibrium (FIG. 7) occupied by said weight when the vehicle is at a standstill, said plate 58 is located in the proximity of the end of the spindle 51 without however being in contact with the latter, so that the indicator member 41 may be driven by the wheel 50.

In contradistinction, when the vehicle is running, said mass 59 rocks under the action of the movement of the vehicle and it communicates an axial reciprocation to the spindle 51 during which the indicator member 41 is periodically disengaged and returned into its zero position by the counterweight 55.

This last-described parking meter forms thus a particularly advantageous apparatus, since the measurement of the parking time is released as soon as the vehicle stops, without the driver interfering. It is, furthermore, of a simple and sturdy structure and may operate in an entirely automatic manner if its self-winding is ensured by a rocking weight.

As a modification, the means returning angularly and axially the disc 41 into its zero position may be constituted by springs.

What I claim is:

l. A parking time meter for use on a vehicle windshield, comprising a clockwork including an hour wheel driven by said clockwork, a sloping plate carrying the clockwork, a spindle rotatably and slidably carried by said plate in coaxial relationship with the hour wheel, a disk-shaped indicator member having a time scale thereon beginning with zero fixed coaxially to said spindle, said indicator member being positioned on the outside of the hour wheel with reference to the plate and normally engaging the hour wheel under the action of gravity to be driven by said hour wheel, and adapted to be shifted into and out of engagement with said hour wheel, means urging the indicator member when out of engagement with the hour wheel into a position in which said time scale indicates zero and support means adapted to adhere to the inner surface of the windshield for supporting said meter with the hour wheel and the indicator member in substantial parallelism with the windshield to allow a viewing of said time scale through said windshield, a pendular weight pivoted on said plate to urge said spindle intermittently outwardly under the action of the motion of the vehicle, thereby disengaging the indicator member to allow its return to zero position.

2. A parking time meter for use on a vehicle windshield comprising a clockwork including an hour Wheel driven by said clockwork, a sloping plate carrying the clockwork, a spindle rotatably and slidably carried by said plate in coaxial relationship with the hour wheel, a disk-shaped indicator member having a time scale thereon beginning with zero fixed coaxially to spindle, said disk being positioned on the outside of said hour wheel with reference to the plate and normally engaging the hour wheel under the action of gravity to be driven by said hour wheel, and adapted to be shifted into and out of engagement with said hour wheel, a. counterweight rigid with the indicator member and urging the latter, when out of engagement with the hour wheel, into a position in which said time scale indicates Zero, and support means adapted to adhere to the inner surface of the windshield for supporting said meter with the hour wheel and the indicator member in substantial parallelism with the windshield to allow a viewing of said time scale through said windshield, an auxiliary weight pivoted on said plate and including a portion engaging said spindle intermittently outwardly under the action of the motion of the vehicle, thereby disengaging the indicator member to allow its return to zero position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,749,977 Hutches Mar. 11, 1930 

